News (USA)

SCOTUS rules that teachers at religious schools don’t have civil rights protections

United States Supreme Court building
United States Supreme Court building Photo: Shutterstock

In a ruling that doesn’t bode well for LGBTQ teachers and guidance counselors who are currently being fired en masse by the Catholic church, the Supreme Court has ruled that teachers at religious schools do not have civil rights employment protections.

In one case, a teacher sued alleging age discrimination. The other teacher was fired after telling administrators she had breast cancer.

Related: Taxpayer funded Catholic schools given secret edict to ban kids who don’t conform to gender norms

In a separate ruling issued last month, the court decided that states cannot withhold funding from religious schools that discriminate against teachers and students.

The two cases decided today, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Darryl Biel, involved teachers who gave religious instruction who were fired under the “ministerial exception,” which exempts clergy from anti-discrimination laws.

The teachers’ former employers argued that the ministerial exception means that they could not be sued for discrimination because the teachers acted like ministers.

The ruling was 7-2 with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting.

“The religious education and formation of students is the very reason for the existence of most private religious schools, and therefore the selection and supervision of the teachers upon whom the schools rely to do this work lie at the core of their mission,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court.

“Judicial review of the way in which religious schools discharge those responsibilities would undermine the independence of religious institutions in a way that the First Amendment does not tolerate,” he wrote.

In many of the cases involving fired LGBTQ school employees, however, the teachers and guidance counselors gave no religious instruction. They taught secular subjects.

Don't forget to share:

Support vital LGBTQ+ journalism

Reader contributions help keep LGBTQ Nation free, so that queer people get the news they need, with stories that mainstream media often leaves out. Can you contribute today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

JK Rowling & other famous writers signed a “free speech” letter. Trans writers were on the list too.

Previous article

Republican candidate brags about pulling her daughter out of college for supporting LGBTQ rights

Next article